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There are no data describing the genetic make-up of Campylobacter strains (an important aetiological agent of diarrhoea) circulating in the Arabian Gulf region. Here, the molecular characterization of two virulence genes in Campylobacter jejuni from Bahrain and the relationship with clinical infection are reported. Molecular screening for cytolethal distending toxin (cdtB) and invasion-associated marker (iam) genes was carried out on C. jejuni stool isolates collected from January 2002 to January 2004 in Bahrain. The molecular characterization was correlated with the patients' socio-demographic and clinical parameters. Of the 96 C. jejuni strains tested, 50 (52 %) were cdtB ⁺/iam ⁺, 30 (31 %) were cdtB ⁺/iam ⁻ and 16 (17 %) were cdtB ⁻/iam ⁻. Sixty-nine per cent (66/96) of patients were less than 3 years old, with significantly higher detection of cdtB ⁺/iam ⁺ and cdtB ⁺/iam ⁻ strains (P <0.001 and P <0.01 …